Europe is experiencing one of its worst fire seasons and, in particular, Italy, Greece and Turkey. The flames paint the map almost continuously, jumping from northern Algeria and Tunisia to southern Europe. Hundreds of active lights that force thousands of firefighters to fight the flames and prevent their advance in tourist areas, the most affected in the height of the high season and from which more than 70,000 people have already had to leave.

It all started with 'Charon' and 'Cancerbero', the two consecutive heat waves that have hit Europe in the last two weeks, and that contributed to generating the —even more adverse— conditions in summer, in the countries that today are experiencing their particular battle with fire. The three countries exceeded 45ºC this week for several days and temperatures are being especially high on Greek soil, where the strong wind has combined with 46.4ºC, the highest temperature ever recorded in the country.

Greece is the worst of the three sources. Since Sunday, almost a hundred fires have accumulated and the authorities estimate the total number of tourists who have left the islands at 70,000. In Rhodes, the authorities have confirmed that the area burned – some 14,000 hectares – is equivalent to 10% of the total for the island and the fire continues uncontrolled for the eighth consecutive day. “There is no magic solution,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis lamented this Tuesday in a statement on ERT public television.

“We know things will probably get worse, not better”

The president foresees a “difficult summer” due to the “unprecedented heat” that is plaguing the area, a product of the climate crisis, which he blames for the fires. “We know that things will probably get worse, not better, with higher temperatures, more drought and strong winds.. The morphology of our terrain makes extinction extremely difficult in many cases. So we have a tough summer ahead of us,” he warned.

The images there are devastating, where dozens of deer are seen wandering uncontrollably or dead on the side of the island's regional roads, as well as turtles and other wild and farm animals.

The situation is also critical in Corfu and Euboea as a result of the wind and the difficult orography of the islands. In the first, the flames reignited during the morning on Mount Pantokrator, forcing the temporary evacuation of Lutses and the surrounding towns, where some 2,500 tourists were located.. In Euboea, a few kilometers northeast of Athens, nine towns have been evacuated and several houses have been burned, according to regional authorities.

There, a hundred firefighters fight for the third day near the coastal town of Caristo, where a rancher has been missing since Sunday. In addition, a tanker plane, which was participating in efforts to control and put out a forest fire, has crashed on the side of a mountain near the town of Platanistós, with two people inside (pilot and co-pilot), according to local media.

Outside the islands, smaller outbreaks spread throughout Hellenic territory, mobilizing firefighters throughout the country in the face of extreme alert due to dry conditions, strong gusts of wind and unusually high temperatures, at least until Thursday.. According to local media, it is estimated that, in the last week, at least 34,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land throughout the country have been razed.

Italy suffers from heat and fire

The flames also devastate the Italian island of Sicily. According to the president of the region, Renato Schifani, 43 fires were declared last Monday, several of which are still active.. “Attention continues to be very high considering that today the heat wave is maximum,” said the president.

Palermo airport has been closed from 4:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. this Tuesday, although only some departures have been allowed. Las llegadas permanecen restrictidas, which implies a notable tur´sitico impact on the island.

The tourist capital of Türkiye begins to burn

The tourist region of Antalya, in southern Turkey, is also suffering from fire pressure. In the early hours of Tuesday a violent fire was decreed that has already burned more than 60 hectares. According to the region's governor, Ersin Yazici, six people have had to be taken to hospital for respiratory problems caused by smoke and ten houses have been evicted.

Antalya is considered the tourist capital of the country, although for the moment the fire does not threaten the most visited facilities, as Munir Karaloglu, deputy interior minister, has assured.. “Guests can continue their vacations in peace,” he said, although the conditions could be reversed, since the thermometers there are also around 45ºC.

34 dead and 19 detained in Algeria

The situation is no better in North Africa, where we are once again experiencing a summer conditioned by forest fires and temperatures of 50 degrees in the shade, which so far have left 34 people dead (a dozen soldiers, among them) and an undetermined number of wounded.

In addition, the Algerian authorities have arrested a total of 19 citizens on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in these fires.. If the criminal nature and sabotage are proven, the case will be referred to the department for the fight against terrorism and organized crime of the Sidi Mohamed Court, located in the capital, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

The fires are located in at least 16 cities in the northwest of the country, where some 1,500 people from Fenaya and Zbarbar have also been evacuated. In addition, the weather forecast does not improve and a new heat wave of up to 48 degrees is expected in the shade, which will affect the entire country and will last until Monday.

Despite those affected and the weather forecasts, the Algerian Ministry of the Interior has indicated that “Civil Protection services have managed to extinguish most of the forest fires (80%) after an uninterrupted mobilization throughout the night and the reinforcement of land and material operations in addition to the coordination of efforts between the wilayas”.

Spain collaborates in Tunisia

In Tunisia, several outbreaks remain active in the province of Yenduba, near the border with Algeria, where the authorities have deployed numerous military personnel to stop the advance of the fire. Also in Tabarka, with 150 evacuees, and several fires in the areas of Bizerte, Béja and Siliana.

In the next few hours, Spain will send two firefighting planes and 27 military personnel —including crews, technicians and liaison personnel from the Emergency Military Unit (UME)—, after the Government of Tunisia has requested assistance from the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC).